Deemulsifying hydrocarbons



Patented May 15, 1928.

GUSTAV EGLOFF, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

PATENT OFFICE. f

ASSIGNOB TO UNIVERSAL OIL PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ACORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

DEEMULSIFYING HYDROCARBONfi Application filed January 7, 1921, Serial2N0. 435,578. Renewed February 4, 1927.

This invention relates to improvements in de-emulsifying hydrocarbonoils which are of a particularly stable character and do not lendthemselves readily to dehydration under heat and pressure due to theirstability. I have found that by adding an electrolyte to the oil, thatthe separation of water in the emulsified form is readily accomplishedunder heat and pressure.

Among the objects of the invention are not alone to dehydrate theemulsified oil but also to crack said emulsified oil under heat andpressure in the presence of an electrolyte; to provide a process ofdehydrating hydrocarbon oil in the presence of an added electrolyte suchas caustic soda under heat and pressure, simultaneously converting asubstantial portion of the hydrocarbon oil content of the emulsion intolight. oils suitable for combustion in an internal explosive motor; toprovide a process of de-emulsifying hydrocarbon oils in the presence ofan electrolyte to substantially free said emulsion of water; to providea process of dehydrating emulsion oils by means of adding an electrolyteto said emulsion, circulating the electrolyte treated emulsion oremulsoid while distilling under vacuum so as to preserve thehydrocarbons present in the emulsoid without material change in thecompo sition of the hydocarbons present, and in general to provideimprovements of the character referred to.

The single figure in the drawing is a side elevational view, in detail,of the apparatus for carrying out my process.

Referring in detail vto the drawing, 1 designates a Dutch oven part of afurnace 2, having stack 3 attached thereto. 4 represents the burner inthe dutch oven 1. resents a series of vertical tubes expanded into drums6 and 7. 8 represents a conduit to condenser coil 9 set in condenser box10, pipe 8 having a throttle valve 11, connected with condenser coil 9.Valve 12 is interposed in the pipe connect-ion 13 attached to receiver14, having pressure gauge 15 and uncondensable gas pipe 16 with controlvalve 17. Pipe 18 represents drawofi' pipe connection to receiver 14 andcontrol valve 19, connecting with the run down tank (not shown).Pressure gauge 20 in conduit 8 records the pressure at that point. Thevertical tube still 21 has manhole plate 22,

5 rep liquid drawofl. pipe 23 having control valve 24. Interposedbetween drums 6 and 7 is a circulating pump 25 and discharge controlvalve 26. The raw oil control is maintained by means of valve 27 and theelectrolyte controlled by means of valve 28. 29 is a spray device forthe raw oil and circulating material A typical mode of operatingthisprocess when pressure is used, is to charge the still by means of pump25, maintaining the pressure over the entire system or a differentialpressure may be maintained between valves 11, 12 and 19. Simultaneouslywith feeding in raw oil, a given quantity of electrolyte, which may becomposed of caustic soda, is passed in a concentration for which theemulsified oil calls. While vapors are passed through conduit .8, thecirculatory pump is in action, de-emulsifying, and depending upon thepressure, cracking simultaneously takes place. The distillate which iscondensed in coil 9 passed on to receiver 14 and passes on to rundowntank"'(not shown), by means of valve 19. At the same time, residuummaterial is drawn off through pipe 23. A typical run on this processoperating under a pressure of say, 140

pounds and a temperature of 760 degrees F. in the liquid, will treatapproximately 40% more emulsoid in the presence of an electrolyte suchas caustic soda than when saidelectrolyte was not added, converting theoil content of the emulsoid into 45% of marketable light oil.

The apparatus may, instead of being used for operating the pressureprocess, be used to operate a vacuum process, in which case a vacuum offrom 15" to 25 may be maintained on the entire system, the oil heated toconsiderably less temperature, as for example, 200 to 350 degrees F.,being the temperature used. By using the vacuum, the hydrocarbons can beretained in their original form and any substantial or materialdecomposition or cracking avoided, when 1. A process of treatingemulsified oils,

consisting in distilling the oil under regulated temperatures, andsuperatmospheric 'pressure, and simultaneously injecting into the oil inthe still, in the vapor space thereof,

5 caustic soda for the purpose of dehydrating t e oil.

2. A process of treating emulsified mineral oils, consisting indistilling the oil while under a, superatmospheric pressure, in causingthe oil to pass through vertical tubes during such distillation, and inintroducing to a'vapor space above said tubes during such distillationan electrolyte consisting of caustic soda.

GUSTAV EGLOFF.

